Silo.



' SILO. 'APPLIOATIQN FILED mha, 1912.

Patented Mar, 18, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

'FRED JQMCARTHUR, or ABERDEEN, SOUTH DAKOTA.

srLo.

lSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

Application fil-ed March `8, 1912. Serial No. 682,441.

'of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin-Silos, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to silos and more especially to 'that feature ofsilo construction which involvesthe use o f a continuous door openingand reinforcing members for `holding the silo in position andtaking upthe shrinkage when necessary.

In silos of the type to which my improve- 1`5 ments are applied, itgenerally happens that after the silo is constructed, perhaps aftericing emptied the first time, there will be' a `:onsiderable vamount ofshrinkage of the staves which will have to be taken up by means of thecircumferential reinforcing rods or the silo may become so loose as tocollapse. Also after filling, on account of swelling, the reinforcingbands may need to be loosenedto permit expansion of the circular silowalls or said bands might be brokem In connection with thisreinforcement rvarious devices have been employed for preventingcollapsing of the silo at the door opening and retaining said door open-80 ing in normal position, a common device for this purpose being toprovide a special reinforced -door frame with cross braces eX- tendingbetween the frame members, the 'reinforcing hoops being extended oversaid frame members so that when the hoops are drawn up the frame memberswill be forced against the cross bars. This form of 'silo necessitates aspecial door frame which is expensive 'and difficult to assemble. It is40 the object of my invention to provide a reinforcement in connectionwith a continuous door opening which shall do away with the special doorframe and also the crossI braces, and yet will hold the said members ofthe door opening in proper relative position.

The full objects and-advantages of my invention will appear inconnection with the detailed description. thereof and are particularly'pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, illustrating the applica tion of my invention in oneform, Figure 1 is an elevation view of .a silo embodying my invention.Figs. 2 and 3, inclusive, are detail views of securing lugs to oeV usedinconnection with the reinforcement ernployed. Fig. 4 is a fragmentarysectional plan illustrating the door structure.

In the view shown in Fig. A1 is represented a silo composed of staves 10of the ordinary type, that is, tongue and groove staves, which may beset upon end on a foundation of usual construction.v

Reinforcing rods 25 extend, centrally into two eye pieces 26 to whichthey are secured vby means of nuts 27, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2.The eye pieces 26are provided with three apertures, and extendingthrough the two terminalv apertures are-short rod connections 28 and 29which may be headed at the ends, as shown. The short sections 28 eachexten'd' from eye pieces 26 entirely across the door opening 15, beingsecured through eye pieces 30, the headed ends of these sectionspreventing the same -from slipping out of the apertures in either-eyepieces 26 or 30. The reinforcing sections 29 extend from the eye pieces26 to the eye pieces 30 without crossing the door opening 15. ltfollows, therefore, that when, by means of niits 27 or other tighteninglugs. 19 of usual construction on the same, the rods 25 are drawn uptheir action will be to pull the staves 10 together, but since themarginal staves 14 and 18 have this pull eX- erted upon them equally atthe same time in opposite directions through the rod sections 28 and 29,this will result in holdingV the vmarginal staves 14 and 18 in fixedrelative positions quite as eifectively as if a special door framestructure and cross braces were employed in combination with the usualhoop reinforcement.

lt will be obvious that my silo can be constructed much more cheaplythan the frame type of silo and will not require any.-

specially skilled labor in setting it up. The door structure employed byme is illustrated in Fig. 4, in which the doors 31 are simply formedwith curved engaging portions 32 adjacent the margins so .that when saiddoors are set one upon the other within the silo the said curvedportions 32 will come against t-he inside of the marginal staves 14 and18 and the pressure of the silage against the door will seal the same.If' desired, a strip '33 of rubber. felt or other fabric may be employedbetween the surfaces 32 and the terminal staves 14 and 18.

The reinforcing bands 2.5 may each be formed of as many rod sections asis desirable with tightening lugs connecting said sections so that thelmay be tightened as necessity may require trom all sides of the silo.The tightening lugs may all be secured to stares Yotfthe silo, ini'vhich case lt Will be noted that l have shown the reinforcing bandswhich cross the door opening; ls being' secured to the marginal sta'vesat the sides ot the door opening. ,Tt is not, however, necessary thatthese reinforcing members should be `secured to the marginal states atthe ends ot the members, since practically the same results would followit the ends ot the reinforcing' members Were carried to a point severalstares beyond the marginal staves and there secured. l do not,theretore` irish to be limited in the applicationof my invention toSecuring the rods ,Which cross the openings to the marginal stares.Also. in using` the term continuous door opening as applied to myinvention l refer to any door opening in the silo tva-ll which Will needto have some meansl to hold the marninal members thereof in fixedrelative position. lt. tor example. several diderent openings Wereeiniiloyed in a silo. having` independent tops and bottoms, `but eachre- (wiringb such reinforcement. these openings although not related toeach other`r Would tall Within the scope of my invention` 4 l claim:

l. It silo the Walls of which are formed entirely ot matched stave@l andprovided with a continuous door openingr up one'side thereof. incombination with circumferential reinforcing' members. there beingsecured to each end ot each ot said reinforcingy members separateportions ln'ivinggn independent connections with the adjacent marginalstave and the marginal stave across the door opening. respectively.whereby* tightening ot the reinforcing members n'ill operate to dranvthe stares, ot the silo together While pulling the marginal membersequally in both dii-elicits and holding them in fixed relative position.

2, l silo the walls ot which are formed ot matched stares and providedwith a. door openingr extending brun-een a pair of said stares ot normalthii-kneg. a series ot lugs secured to the stares at the margins ot thedoor opening, each ot said lugs beine toi-med with a plurality othorizoncross lugs and retallydisposed aperture:

ai their ends bj;

and a pluextending througll each of said cross lugs and secured sets otmarginal lugs and being secured to the marginal lug across theA dooropening troni its cross lug, the remainder of said sections passing'through apertures in and being` secured directly to the adjacent' marginal lug only,

i silo the walls of which are formed ot matched staves and provided witha door opening` extending between a pair of' said statesy ot normalthickness, a series of lugs' secured to the staves at -tlie margins otthe door opening, each ot said lugs being formed With a. pluralityT ofhorizontally disposed apertures,` cross lugs and reinforcing bandssecured at their ends by means of a threaded nut thereto, and a pair otshort band sections extending through each of said cross lugs andsecured at 'the ends thereto. a part of said sections' passing throughapertures in both of the sets of marginal lugs and being secured to themarginal lugs across the door opening from its cross lug. the remainderof said sections passing through apertures in and being' secureddirectly to the adjacent marginal lug only, said pair of crossing bandspassing through closely adjacent apertures in the marginal'lugfsI so asto extend in close parallelrelation across the said opening.

4. A silo the Walls of which are formed ot shrinkable ymaterial andprovided With a door opening, in combination with circumterentialreinforcing members comprisin; a single band extending to a point nearthe marginal members at the sides ol the .door opening, and a pairo'band sections relative position.

5. A, silo the Walls of which are formed ot" shrinlable material andprovided with a door opening, in combination with eircumerentialreinforcing: members compris'- ing a single band extending to a pointnear the marginal members at the sides of the door opening", and a pairof band sections extendingr from the ends ot1 said single band,apertured plates .through which the single band and the band sectionsextend, restrain; ing means on the ends ot-said single band and bandsect-i' C engaging said plates on opposite sides to .secure the singleband to the band ions, at least parte? :said restrain-in insccmj'irising nuts threaded :Keir o f band sections including one' membertions and hold themA in xed relative v tened to the adjacent side memberofsaid position.'

opening and the other member extending In testimony whereof I affix mysignature across and 'being secured to a.y wall member in, presence oftwo witnesses. v

As, ofde sidebeyond the. door. Aop.e1 liirlfiwlie'ref' FRED J. MCARTHUR.

' by o'peratin said nuts wilL-seryefo tighteI-iv Witnesses: A

the silo an `at the salme time to pullv the f `H.'A.Bow1scm.1-r, x i,marginal ;membersf}eqna11y jin both ldirec-' F. A. WHnELEY.

